William Thompson (died 1744) facts for kids

William Thompson (born around 1680, died 1744) was an important British politician from Yorkshire. He was a member of the Whig political party and served in the British House of Commons (which is like one of the main parts of the UK Parliament) for many years between 1701 and 1744.

William Thompson followed in his father's footsteps. His father, Francis Thompson, was also a Member of Parliament (MP). William's mother was Arabella Alleyn. In 1693, when William was still quite young, his father passed away. William then went to St John's College, Oxford when he was 15 years old, starting his studies on July 6, 1695.

William Thompson's Early Political Career

Once William Thompson was old enough, he became a Member of Parliament for Scarborough. This was a special area that his family had represented before. He won his first election there in 1701.

What Did William Thompson Do in Parliament?

William was known as a Whig, which was one of the main political groups at the time. It's sometimes hard to know exactly what he did because there were other people named Thompson in Parliament too!

• In 1702, he won his election in Scarborough without anyone running against him.
• In 1703, he got permission to travel to Holland.
• In 1704, he helped with a bill (a proposed law) to create a land registry in Yorkshire. This would keep records of who owned land.
• In 1705, he won his election in Scarborough again. He supported the King's choice for Speaker of the House.
• In 1706, he voted for a bill about how the country would be run if the King was not able to rule.
• In 1708, he was re-elected without opposition.
• In 1709, he helped decide two arguments about election results.
• In 1710, he voted to remove Dr. Sacheverell from his church position. He also took three weeks off from Parliament.
• Later in 1710, he was re-elected without anyone running against him again.
• In 1711, he voted for the idea that there should be "No Peace Without Spain." This meant Britain should not make peace unless Spain was also involved.
• In 1712, he took a month off because he was not feeling well.
• In 1713, he voted against a bill that would have enclosed (fenced off) common land in Yorkshire. He also voted against a bill about trade with France.
• He was re-elected for Scarborough without opposition in 1713.
• In 1714, he voted against removing Richard Steele, another MP, from Parliament. He also helped the Whig side in another election dispute.

Later Life and Roles

William Thompson continued to be a Member of Parliament for Scarborough. In 1715, he was re-elected without opposition. That same year, he was given an important job: he became the Governor of Scarborough Castle. He held this job for the rest of his life.

Important Government Jobs

William Thompson also held other significant roles in the government:

• In 1718, he became the Warden of the Mint. This job involved overseeing the making of coins for the country. He was re-elected as MP after taking this new job.
• He did not run for election in 1722 or 1727.
• In 1729, he left his job at the Mint. He then became a Commissioner of the Victualling Office. This office was in charge of providing food and supplies for the Royal Navy.
• He was elected as MP for Scarborough again in 1730.
• He was re-elected without opposition in 1734 and 1741.
• He continued to support the government because he held these important positions.

William Thompson passed away in June 1744. He never married.